On Jan. 17, students across the U.S. will get an exclusive look at careers in the transportation, computer numerical control (CNC) machining and welding industries during Technician Career Expo & Open Houses hosted by Universal Technical Institute‘s 13 campuses nationwide.

The U.S. Department of Labor projects that, by 2026, there will be more than 1.2 million job openings in the automotive, diesel and collision repair industries. The transportation industry will need to fill more than 120,000 technician job openings annually, on average.

During UTI’s Technician Career Expo & Open Houses, prospective technicians will learn about these jobs, the leading-edge technologies that power modern vehicles, and the high-tech training and career opportunities available to them.

Guests will meet with local companies that employ UTI graduates and offer tuition reimbursement plans and other hiring incentives. They can participate in live STEM activities and demonstrations of the campuses’ hands-on and virtual training programs, as well as tour UTI’s state-of the-industry labs, which are outfitted by more than 30 leading manufacturer brands.

“Our industry partners help guide our curriculum and give our students the chance to work with sophisticated vehicles, tools and technologies,” said Sherrell Smith, executive vice president, Campus Operations. “As a result, our graduates go into the workforce with the skills employers want and need.”

Smith said open house events are an opportunity to give students a real-world perspective on the rewarding, high-tech careers in the transportation industry, and for employers to share the abundant, well-paying jobs they have available.

The company expects to host hundreds of people at each of its campuses in Avondale and Phoenix, Arizona; Long Beach, Rancho Cucamonga and Sacramento, California; Orlando, Florida; Lisle, Illinois; Norwood, Massachusetts, Bloomfield, New Jersey; Mooresville, North Carolina; Exton, Pennsylvania; and Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston, Texas.